


Let's Be Friends (For A Start)

by Phoebe_Snow



Series: Your Touch is Like Magic [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attraction, Cute, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Flirting, Imagine your OTP, Male-Female Friendship, Missing Scene, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Rare Pairings, She's twenty-four, Wanda is always aged up in my Winterwitch fics, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22686178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/pseuds/Phoebe_Snow
Summary: Bucky and Wanda take their first steps into a friendship.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Wanda Maximoff
Series: Your Touch is Like Magic [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1027895
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	Let's Be Friends (For A Start)

* * *

  
Bucky looked over at Wanda as he busied himself in the kitchen, making a hero sandwich for lunch. He hadn’t known her for a long period of time, but he noticed that she didn’t smile a lot. Perhaps it was because of the awful things she’d been through and maybe she believed that she didn’t have anything to smile about. It’s not like he could talk anyway. He wasn’t much for smiling either.

Wanda wasn’t extroverted, that much he knew. She was on the quiet side, keeping to herself and if she spent time with the other Avengers, it was usually Steve, Sam and Natasha. From what Bucky observed, she was close to those three and felt more comfortable around them.

It was ridiculous, but Bucky would feel a little left out whenever he saw her with the others. She hadn’t been an Avenger for long, but she was quickly adopted into the group of heroes. He was the only member of the team who hadn’t really talked to her and it wasn’t for a lack of trying. It’d be a lie if he said he wasn’t somewhat uncomfortable, knowing the extent of her powers, but she seemed to be mature enough to handle them. He was probably just being paranoid.

In the past, he had been confident, flirtatious and a lady killer. Now, he was more the opposite. He wasn’t fond of big social circles and preferred solitude instead of being where the action was. Idle chit chat was difficult to engage in now and if he did find himself speaking with someone, it would usually be in a quiet corner away from activity.

"That sandwich looks good."

Bucky blinked and looked at Wanda again, who was sitting in a stool at the kitchen island. She had a bottle of water in her hands and eyed his sub with approval. 

"Thanks. Would you like a piece?"

"Oh, no." She waved her hand. "I know better than to stand between a man and his food."

Bucky let out a chuckle. "Well, it's a big sandwich. I don’t have a problem sharing some of it if you want."

Wanda bit her lip, thinking it over, and eventually nodded. "Sure."

He got a knife and cut a third of the sandwich off, placed it on another plate and slid it towards her. She thanked him and tore into the hero ravenously. 

_She must be really hungry_ , he thought in amusement.

It was refreshing to see a woman eat her food and enjoy it without nibbling it like a bird. He’d seen a lot of that during the forties and to be honest, it always seemed silly to him. If you were hungry, you shouldn’t have to feel pressured to eat daintily. You don’t have to eat like a pig either, but try to find a balance in-between. That’s what he always did.

When she swallowed the mouthful of sandwich she’d been chewing, she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "It’s amazing. I've eaten a variety of sandwiches since I’ve been in America, but this is  _definitely_ the best I’ve ever had."

Before Bucky could think about it, he bowed and replied in an exaggerated English voice. "I'm pleased you think so, my lady."

Wanda scrunched her nose up and let out a little laugh. "Your accent needs some work, but it shows promise," she retorted, the smile still on her lips.

"Maybe you could help me with that." There was a flirtatious tilt in his voice that slipped out unintentionally. Maybe some of the old Bucky survived after all.

Her cheeks flushed and she took another bite of her sandwich. "I'm terrible at English accents, but my Russian isn’t bad since it’s similar to my native Sokovian."

"I can’t hear it much in your everyday speech."

"Thanks to Natasha. She’s been teaching me tools of the spy trade and one of them is to be able to disguise your voice."

"You’ve done well. You almost sound like an American. I’m still partial to your Sokovian accent though."

Wanda watched him as he ate and smiled. She hadn’t expected the man to engage in conversation with her, but she appreciated his kindness. She’d been curious about him and had a little crush on him ever since she first saw him in Germany - not that she told anyone - but she never knew what to say to him. At least they were speaking now and since she knew he liked her Sokovian accent...

_< "Do you know how handsome you are?">_

Bucky looked at her in surprise. "What was that?"

Pretending to be nonchalant, she shrugged. "Well, you said you liked my Sokovian accent. So I decided to say something in my native tongue for you. You’ll probably need a dictionary to translate what I said." She knew she was being a bit of a tease, but she couldn’t help it. For some reason, it was easy to fall into a playful attitude with Bucky. 

He furrowed his brow and she assumed he was trying to understand what she told him. Then he replied in clear Sokovian,  _< "The mirror tells me, but it’s better to hear it from the lips of a beautiful woman.>"_

Now it was Wanda's turn to be surprised. "You speak Sokovian?"

"I learned it back when I was the Winter Soldier. Shuri locked the trigger words away, but I still remember some of things they taught me, like languages. I can speak thirty besides English."

"That would come in handy when you have a mission to another country. You could be our universal translator."

"Like in Star Trek? Sounds like fun." He grinned.

_He knows Star Trek? Okay, now I like him even more._ Wanda opened her mouth to ask him if he liked the older films and tv shows or the latest stuff - hopefully, he preferred the former - but then she remembered what he said to her moments ago. "Were you teasing when you called me beautiful?"

Bucky shook his head. "No. I was a flirt back in the forties and I always knew how to say the right thing to impress women, but I'm not that guy anymore. When I say something now, it’s completely genuine." He looked at her thoughtfully. "I have to admit, your powers freak me out a little, but I'd like to get to know you...if you’ll let me."

"That’s alright. They freaked me out too when I first started to use them, but I can control myself and I would never invade your privacy against your wishes. I’d like to get to know you, too, Bucky." 

"No, please. Everyone around here calls me that or 'Barnes' and I don’t mind it, but I'd like you to call me James."

Wanda’s eyes twinkled. "Alright...James."

He smiled back at her and they continued to eat together, chatting between bites. Wanda was amazed by how at ease she felt around him and she had a feeling this friendship could be the start of something wonderful.

From the gleam in his eyes and the sensations she got from his warm and welcoming aura, she was certain James felt the same way.


End file.
